Annie's first race!

Annie and Toby "ran" Annie's first race last weekend.  It was so cute from start to finish.  We started with high hopes and the joy that comes from planning to run a race with one of your best friends.  In our case, the ever-discussed Nolan.  Annie talks about him nonstop - if you've spent any time with us lately, you probably feel like you know him personally.

Here they are, getting Annie all pinned up.  She was a big fan of the fire truck in the background, but not a fan at all of the three giant mascots roaming around...a dog, a frog and a dragon.  She did not care for them at all. (Note to my husband:  when the child is scared of the mascots, don't tell her that the mascots may "warm the racers up" before the race.  I'm pretty sure that just terrified her, espcially since she doesn't know what "warming up" is, but does know that warm things can be hot and therefore dangerous. And now she keeps asking why the doggie didn't warm her up, which probably sounds unusual to her teachers.)

 

Annie and Nolan, making the best of having to wait for the race to begin. 

No, she isn't kicking him, and he isn't playing her like a guitar.  I'm pretty sure Annie started out trying to show different yoga poses and then got carried away.

After the above-mentioned mascot terror and then waiting for faaaar too long for the race to begin, this is what I saw run past me. Toby promises that Annie did run quite a lot, but both times I saw her, Toby was carrying her and she was crying.  I can't blame her for the second time, as they came towards the finish...I wouldn't run straight into a crowd of screaming strangers, either.

And post-race medals and happiness all around.  We celebrated with a "donup" and then headed off to Annie's first gymnastics class.  She loved it and the instructor declared her to have remarkable upper body strength, so I loved it too!